Euclid's first big data release maps 900 million galaxies and about 15,000 likely gravitational lenses

The stories

19 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Euclid's first big data release maps 900 million galaxies and about 15,000 likely gravitational lenses

   900 million

   galaxies in Euclid's first big data release

   gathered over 13 months, from spring 2024 to spring 2025 [1]

   15,000

   likely gravitational lenses, against about 1,000 known before

   about 170,000 are expected by the end of the mission [4]

   14%

   of the sky Euclid will map, covered so far

   the full map is due in 2031 [6]

   What happened

   • Euclid, a European space telescope, released its first big batch of data on Thursday 12 November. [1]
   • The release holds more than 900 million galaxies, seen over 13 months of looking. [1]
   • The patch of sky it covers is as big as 9,500 full Moons. [1]
   • ESA, Europe's space agency, built Euclid to make the largest 3D map of the universe ever made. [4]
   • The release also holds about 15,000 likely gravitational lenses. [4]
   • A lens forms when a heavy galaxy in front bends the light of a galaxy far behind it. [4] The bent light shows up as bright arcs or rings. [4]
   • Before Euclid, astronomers knew of about 1,000 such lenses. [4] About 170,000 are expected by the end of the mission. [4]
   • How a lens bends light depends on how dark matter is spread inside the galaxy in front. [4]
   • Stephen Serjeant of the Open University said the clumping is "very diagnostic of the type of matter that it is." [4]
   • One example is Abell 3128, a cluster of hundreds of galaxies about 800 million light years away. [2]
   • Euclid runs 2 surveys: a Wide one across a huge area, and a Deep one. [3]
   • The Deep Survey spends about 10% of the telescope's time looking again and again at 3 small patches of sky. [5]
   • The Deep Survey finds fainter things, and it also helps calibrate, or check, the Wide one. [3]
   • The release is 1.7 million gigabytes of data. [6]
   • Andy Taylor of the University of Edinburgh leads the UK's share of Euclid's science data work. [4]
   • "No human eyeball is able to look at all of the Euclid data any more," Taylor said. [4]
   • The release covers only about 14% of the sky Euclid will map in its 6-year mission. [1]

   Who is involved

   Euclid's map is meant to help explain dark matter and dark energy. [4] Neither can be seen directly. [6]

   Dark matter is unseen stuff known only from its pull on galaxies, and may be about 27% of the universe. [6]

   Dark energy is thought to make the universe grow faster and faster, and may be about 68% of it. [6]

   Ordinary matter, from stars and gas to people, is only about 5%. [6]

   • Dark matter unseen stuff known by its pull
   • Dark energy thought to speed up the universe's growth
   • Andy Taylor a University of Edinburgh astronomer who leads the UK's share of Euclid's science data work; he says the data is too big for human eyes
   • ESA the European Space Agency, which built Euclid; it released the data on 12 November
   • Valeria Pettorino ESA's Euclid project scientist; she says Euclid will measure how far away each galaxy is

   How it unfolded

   1. 12 Nov first big release
   2. Next summer first dark matter results due [4]
   3. 2031 the full map
   4. Jul 2023 Euclid launches [4]
   5. 2024-2025 13 months of looking, spring to spring [1]
   6. 12 Nov 2026 first big data release [1]
   7. 2031 the full 3D map due [6]

   Why it matters

   Each kind of dark matter and dark energy should leave a slightly different pattern on the sky, Taylor said. [4]

   So scientists may be able to use it to rule out some ideas about dark matter. [4]

   How it works

   Physicists call it gravitational lensing: heavy things bend the path of light, as Einstein's general relativity predicts.

   Abell 3128's mass bends the light of a galaxy far behind it, so that galaxy looks warped and magnified. [2][3]

   Seen it before

   Writing seen through the round base of a glass stretches into curves, because the glass bends the light.

   The truth

   • What is really going on ESA's Euclid release is a starting map, not an answer: its 15,000 lenses are probable cases, and its first dark matter results are due next summer. [4]
   • Why it works on people A count as big as 900 million galaxies feels like a discovery, when it is a list of what will now be studied.
   • The 15,000 are candidates: Taylor calls them probable cases, not confirmed ones. [4]
   • Serjeant said the dark matter answer may well come from lensing, adding: "I can't say it's certain." [4]
   • Who gains Scientists studying dark matter — They can now search Euclid's raw data, images, catalogues and spectra for rare objects. [1]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What dark matter actually is.

     The lensing results that could rule out some ideas are not due until next summer, and Serjeant said he cannot say the answer will come from lensing. [4]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many of Euclid's 15,000 lens candidates are real.

     They are probable cases picked out of the data, and each still has to be checked. [4][5]

   Good news

   • Euclid's first big release holds more than 900 million galaxies and about 15,000 likely gravitational lenses, from only 14% of the sky it will map. Astronomers knew of about 1,000 such lenses before.

   What comes next

   A second release is expected next summer, with first results on where the dark matter is. [4]

   The full map, covering more than a third of the sky, is due in 2031. [6]

1. 02

   Senate panel offers NASA $24.9 billion

   What happened

   • A US Senate funding panel proposed $24.874 billion for NASA for the 2027 budget year on 12 November. [7]
   • The panel also tells NASA to fold its Mars sample mission into its plans to send astronauts to Mars. [7]
   • Separately, NASA said a new team will start in January on other ways to bring Perseverance's Mars samples home. [8]

   Who is involved

   The panel belongs to the US Senate Appropriations Committee, which writes the US government's spending bills. [7]

   • Senate Appropriations Committee writes the US government's spending bills

   How it unfolded

   The Trump administration had asked for $18.8 billion. [7] The House of Representatives' funding committee approved $24.4 billion on 13 May. [7]

   The old sample plan was dropped after its cost rose to $11 billion. [8]

   1. January team starts work
   2. End of next year its recommendations due

   Why it matters

   The US Congress's two houses differ most on science: $7.43 billion from the Senate panel, $6 billion from the House. [7]

   How it works

   Political scientists call it the power of the purse: a president asks for money, but Congress decides it.

   The Trump administration asked for $18.8 billion, but both houses of the US Congress wrote in over $24 billion. [7]

   Seen it before

   A child can ask for more pocket money, but the parent holding the purse decides what gets paid.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Funding panels in both the US Senate and House wrote NASA a budget above $24 billion, after the Trump administration asked for $18.8 billion. [7]
   • The panel said NASA's reshuffle this year came too late, with too little detail, to use in the bill. [7]
   • Who gains NASA science teams — The US Senate panel's science figure is nearly double the $3.9 billion the Trump administration asked for. [7]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How much NASA will get for 2027.

     The US Senate panel's figure still needs a full committee vote, with no date set, and must be matched with the House's $24.4 billion. [7]

   • Nobody knows yet

     How NASA will bring Perseverance's Mars samples home.

     Its new team only starts in January, and aims to give its advice by the end of next year. [8]

   Good news

   • Funding panels in both the US Senate and House turned down the deep cuts proposed for NASA, writing in more than $24 billion for 2027.

   What comes next

   No date is set yet for the full US Senate committee to vote on the bill. [7]

2. 03

   A study weighs cheap NASA missions

   What happened

   • The Planetary Society, a space science campaign group, published a database of 143 NASA missions on 12 November. [9]
   • It covers NASA science craft launched from 1980 to 2024, their costs, and how often their results are cited. [9]
   • Of missions costing under $150 million, 30% failed. [9] Of all the dearer missions, 8% failed. [9]
   • Mid-cost missions, from $150 million to $1 billion, matched or beat the rest for science per dollar. [9] That held in 3 of 4 science areas. [9]
   • The 4 commercial Moon lander missions flown so far each produced fewer papers than similar NASA-led missions. [9]

   How it unfolded

   NASA has been turning to cheaper missions as its science budget comes under threat. [9]

   Why it matters

   NASA is choosing now which kinds of mission to start, in its budget request and the funding bills that follow. [9]

   How it works

   Economists call this expected value: what a choice returns on average, once its failures are counted.

   Cheap missions failed 30% of the time, so each survivor must do about a third more to keep up. [9]

   Seen it before

   A cheap umbrella that breaks in every few storms can cost more in the end than one good one.

   The truth

   • The full analysis has not yet been checked by other scientists: a reviewed paper is still to come. [9]
   • Who pays NASA science missions — More than 50 of them face being ended under the Trump administration's budget plans. [9]
   • Who pays Scientists waiting for mid-size planet missions — Discovery missions were meant every two years, but there is a seven-year gap from Psyche in 2023 to DAVINCI in 2030. [9]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether small missions can match big ones for science.

     The Planetary Society's full analysis has not yet been reviewed by other scientists. [9]

1. 04

   The oldest pair of quasars found

   What happened

   • Astronomers found the oldest known pair of quasars, seen as they were 900 million years after the Big Bang. [10]
   • The two black holes weigh 1.5 billion and 400 million times as much as the Sun. [10]
   • They sit just 18,100 light years apart, about a fifth of the Milky Way's width. [10]
   • The pair, nicknamed Napowawaenakaulua, turned up in Aether, a survey by the James Webb Space Telescope of 200 early quasars. [10]
   • The Gemini North telescope in Hawaii then told the two apart, helped by perfect weather. [10]

   Who is involved

   A quasar is the glow of hot gas swirling into a giant black hole at the centre of a galaxy. [10]

   How it unfolded

   The results were published on 10 November in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. [10]

   1. First Webb's survey finds one quasar
   2. Then Gemini North splits it in two

   Why it matters

   Current models say black holes need at least 1 billion years to grow this big. [10]

   How it works

   Astronomers call it accretion: a black hole grows by pulling in and swallowing gas.

   At 900 million years, these two were already as heavy as giant black holes today, sooner than accretion should allow. [10]

   Seen it before

   A puppy already as big as a grown dog would make any vet check the growth chart again.

   Why a sky survey checks a big quick look against a small careful one

   Euclid spends most of its time on a quick look at a huge sky, and about a tenth on slow looks at 3 small patches that check the rest.

   The twist

   Euclid's quick look at 900 million galaxies can be trusted because a slow look at 3 small patches checks it.

   The picture

   Wide Surveymost of the time

   ++

   Deep Surveyabout 10%

   Step by step

   1. 1 A telescope has a fixed amount of time
   2. 2 Most goes on a quick look at a huge area
   3. 3 A small share goes on slow looks at a few spots
   4. 4 The slow looks check the quick one
   5. 5 The quick look finds rare things worth a slow look

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • The oldest pair of quasars

     The Webb telescope's Aether survey took a quick look at 200 early quasars, and a careful look from Gemini North then split one of them into two.

   • UK spy agencies turn to astronomers

     Ground telescopes can watch many suspect satellites at once, while an inspection craft can study only one at a time, up close.

   • A plan to pay for space clean-up

     Turyshev would track most junk roughly, and spend the careful tracking on the few close calls that could really cause a crash.

   Where you've seen this

   Factories

   a machine checks every bottle quickly, and an inspector opens a few by hand to check the machine

   Teachers

   a teacher marks a pile of tests fast, then marks a handful slowly to see if the fast marks were fair

   Doctors

   a cheap test is given to many people, and a slower, surer test to the few it flags

   The catch

   The check is only as good as the few patches: if they are unusual, the correction they give is wrong for the rest of the sky.

   And the whole of it

   Every picture in this release comes from people deciding where to spend a fixed amount of telescope time. Most of what anyone knows about something huge comes the same way, from a quick look at most of it and a slow look at a few spots.

   The truth

   • Team leader Silvia Onorato said there is "no definitive theoretical explanation" for even one such early quasar. [10]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How black holes grew so big so early.

     Onorato says there is no definitive explanation for even one quasar this early, let alone two. [10]

1. 05

   Hera starts its close look at Dimorphos

   What happened

   • Europe's Hera spacecraft is now studying the asteroid Didymos and its moonlet Dimorphos from 25 to 30 km away. [11]
   • The crash shortened Dimorphos's orbit around Didymos and nudged its path around the Sun. [11]
   • Hera, about the size of a small car, launched in 2024 and carries 25 science instruments. [11]
   • It also carries 2 shoebox-sized satellites that will try to land on Dimorphos. [11]

   Who is involved

   Dimorphos is about 151 metres wide, and Didymos about 780 metres. [11]

   How it unfolded

   NASA's DART craft crashed into Dimorphos on purpose in 2022, to test a way to protect Earth. [11]

   1. 2022 DART crashes into Dimorphos
   2. 2024 Hera launches
   3. Now Hera's close look begins

   Why it matters

   If an asteroid ever heads for Earth, this test shows whether a crash can push it off course. [11]

   How it works

   Physicists call this momentum: a moving thing's push, which passes to whatever it hits.

   Rubble blasted off Dimorphos flew away, which gave the moonlet an extra kick on top of the crash. [11]

   Seen it before

   Throw a heavy ball while standing on a skateboard, and you roll the other way.

   The truth

   • Some of the crash debris could still be near the asteroids, scientists say. [11]

   Good news

   • Europe's Hera spacecraft is now 25 to 30 km from Dimorphos, the small asteroid NASA's DART craft nudged onto a new path in 2022.

   What comes next

   Next month Hera will move closer still, to just 20 km away. [11]

2. 06

   Starshield speed limits back in Ukraine

   What happened

   • Speed limits on Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet, are back in Ukraine. [12]
   • Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said so on Thursday 12 November. [12]
   • Devices using Starshield lose their link when they move faster than 161 km an hour. [12]
   • Neither the US government nor SpaceX has said publicly that it imposed the limits. [12]
   • Elon Musk, who runs SpaceX, wrote: "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government." [12]

   Who is involved

   • Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukraine's president

   How it unfolded

   The limits first appeared on 13 and 14 October. [12] On 24 October Ukraine said links worked again above 400 km an hour. [12]

   1. 13-14 Oct limits first appear
   2. 24 Oct links work above 400 km an hour
   3. 12 Nov limits are back

   Why it matters

   Ukraine's deal for Starshield runs out in mid-2027, and its officials want new talks to start soon. [12]

   How it works

   Defence planners call this sovereign capability: a system a country owns and controls itself.

   On 22 October Ukraine signed a letter of intent with ICEYE and Nokia, two Finnish firms, about its own network. [12]

   Seen it before

   A game on a friend's console stops the day the friend takes the console home.

   The truth

   • Ukraine's military says its own checks show the limits are systematic, not random faults. [12]
   • Who gains Russia's military — Zelenskyy says the limits are helping Russia carry out more accurate attacks. [12]
   • Who pays Ukrainian air defence crews — Their fast interceptor drones lose the link, so some Russian jet drones get through, Zelenskyy says. [12]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Who imposed the new Starshield speed limits in Ukraine.

     Neither the US government nor SpaceX has publicly said it did. [12]

3. 07

   AST shows plans for its Blacklift rocket

   What happened

   • AST SpaceMobile, which builds big satellites that link straight to phones, showed plans for its Blacklift rocket on 12 November. [13]
   • It showed no hardware beyond videos of engines and animations of the rocket. [13]
   • Blacklift is meant to lift 20 tonnes and carry 5 of AST's BlueBird satellites at a time. [13]
   • It would have 3 stages, with 7 Firefly Miranda engines on the first. [13] AST says it will fly twice a month from 2028. [14]
   • AST says Blacklift will fly from Pad 0-A at Wallops, Virginia, the pad built for the Antares rocket. [13]

   How it unfolded

   AST is paying Firefly Aerospace $1.3 billion for engines for the first 3 rockets and a licence to build more. [13]

   Why it matters

   "We cannot get enough launches on time," said Abel Avellan, AST's chief executive. [13]

   How it works

   Business schools call this vertical integration: a company making for itself what it used to buy.

   Avellan said AST will be 95% vertically integrated on the rocket, rather than wait for other firms' rockets. [13]

   Seen it before

   A family that keeps missing the bus may buy a car, and then has to learn to fix it.

   The truth

   • The Virginia Spaceport Authority, which runs Wallops' pads, said its talks with AST do not include Pad 0-A. [13]
   • Ars Technica notes SpaceX took 8 years from its founding to launch Falcon 9. [14] AST wants to do much of that in about 2 years. [14]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Where AST's Blacklift will launch from.

     AST says Pad 0-A at Wallops, and the spaceport that runs it says their talks do not include that pad. [13]

4. 08

   Second secret military launch in 6 days

   What happened

   • A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a secret mission, USSF-627, for the US Space Force from California on 11 November. [15]
   • It was the second such flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base in 6 days, after USSF-432 on 6 November. [15]
   • Both missions are classified, and SpaceX gave no details of what they carried. [15]
   • It was Falcon 9's 120th launch of 2026, and its 15th for US national security this year. [15]

   How it unfolded

   Falcon 9 flew 165 times in 2025, so this year's pace is slower. [15]

   1. 6 Nov USSF-432 launches
   2. 11 Nov USSF-627 launches

   Why it matters

   Some experts think each carried Starshield satellites, which help the Space Force track possible targets around the world. [15]

   How it works

   Engineers call this reuse: flying the same rocket booster again and again instead of throwing it away.

   This booster, number 1103, flew for the 7th time and landed on a ship 8.5 minutes after launch. [15]

   Seen it before

   A delivery van does many rounds a day, instead of being scrapped after one trip.

   The truth

   • The experts' guesses about the cargo come from outside: SpaceX ended its video soon after the booster landed. [15]
   • Nobody knows yet

     What the two secret Space Force launches carried.

     Both missions are classified, and the only guesses come from outside experts. [15]

5. 09

   UK spy agencies turn to astronomers

   What happened

   • The UK's military and spy agencies are working with university astronomers to spot foreign satellites spying on others. [16]
   • The US, China and Russia all have craft that can fly close to other satellites to study them. [16]
   • A craft able to change orbit and fly close to others is costly, he says. [16] Ground telescopes could watch many suspect objects at once, far more cheaply. [16]
   • Norris says ground telescopes could get "90 per cent of the way there." [16]
   • Don Pollacco of the University of Warwick is building the Digital Telescope, an array of small telescopes. [16] It could picture satellites every 10 seconds. [16]

   Who is involved

   Mark Norris, an astrophysicist at the University of Lancashire, says the UK has a big gap there. [16]

   • Mark Norris astrophysicist, University of Lancashire

   Why it matters

   The UK has leaned on US help to watch space, and its agencies want a capability of their own. [16]

   How it works

   Astronomers call this spectroscopy: splitting light into its colours to learn what sent it.

   A satellite's reflected light could show what it is made of, and how big its solar panels are, Norris says. [16]

   Seen it before

   You can often guess what a present is from the shape of its wrapping.

   Ground telescopes can watch many suspect satellites at once, while an inspection craft can study only one at a time, up close.

   The idea, in story 04: Why a sky survey checks a big quick look against a small careful one →

   The truth

   • James Blake of the University of Warwick says groups paid by spy agencies cannot speak freely about their work. [16]
   • Who gains Ground telescope teams like Pollacco's — The military offered his team a chance to build a version of the Digital Telescope for defence use. [16]
   • Who pays Researchers taking defence money — Blake says such funding can stop them publishing their research. [16]
6. 10

   A plan to pay for space clean-up

   What happened

   • A new paper by Slava Turyshev of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory sets out how to control space junk. [17]
   • Starlink satellites made 144,404 moves to dodge crashes in 6 months, from December 2024 to May 2025. [17]
   • That means each Starlink satellite dodges about once a week. [17]
   • Near 850 km up, old rocket stages drift out of control, with too little air to pull them down. [17]
   • European Space Agency data in the paper says about 96% of long-term crash risk comes from dead objects. [17]
   • Turyshev would pay companies for proven cuts in long-term risk, so the most dangerous pieces go first. [17]

   Who is involved

   • Slava Turyshev scientist, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

   How it unfolded

   The US telecoms regulator, the FCC, now wants dead satellites down within 5 years, not 25. [17]

   Why it matters

   Two dead stages colliding would spray debris into the lower orbits that internet satellites use. [17]

   How it works

   Economists call this the tragedy of the commons: everyone shares a space, so nobody pays to clean it. [17]

   A firm that removes an old rocket booster helps every other satellite owner, but pays the whole cost alone. [17]

   Seen it before

   Nobody in a shared flat wants to be the one who cleans the fridge for everyone.

   Turyshev would track most junk roughly, and spend the careful tracking on the few close calls that could really cause a crash.

   The idea, in story 04: Why a sky survey checks a big quick look against a small careful one →

   The truth

   • The paper is a preprint, posted online before other scientists have checked it. [17]
   • Who pays Satellite operators in low orbit — Fuzzy tracking makes them burn fuel dodging objects that were never a real threat. [17]
7. 11

   Warning signs before a black hole's jets

   What happened

   • Two astronomers in Japan say they can see signs 1 to 10 days before a black hole fires out jets. [18]
   • Jets are streams of hot gas and particles shot out at close to the speed of light. [18]
   • The pair studied 4 systems where a black hole pulls gas off a companion star into a spinning disc. [18]
   • Before each jet, the inner edge of the disc moved in fast, and its X-ray glow flickered less. [18]

   Who is involved

   They are Toshihiro Kawaguchi of the University of Toyama and Kazutaka Yamaoka of Nagoya University. [18]

   • Toshihiro Kawaguchi University of Toyama
   • Kazutaka Yamaoka Nagoya University

   How it unfolded

   Their study is published in The Astrophysical Journal. [18]

   1. Days before the disc's edge moves in
   2. Then a jet fires

   Why it matters

   A warning lets astronomers line up other telescopes in time to watch a jet start. [18]

   How it works

   Forecasters call this a leading indicator: a change that shows up before the event it points to.

   In all 4 systems, the disc's edge and the flicker dropped 1 to 10 days before radio telescopes saw jets. [18]

   Seen it before

   Dark clouds piling up tell you rain is coming before the first drop falls.

   The truth

   • Only 4 systems were studied, and one of them came from the pair's own 2025 paper. [18]
8. 12

   A $1 licence for a fuel port

   What happened

   • Spaceium, a start-up planning fuel stations in orbit, will let any company build its OpenPort refuelling port for $1. [19]
   • Fuel can flow both ways through OpenPort, so a fuel tanker in orbit can also refill other craft. [19]
   • The port replaces the one used to fill a craft on the ground before launch. [19]

   Who is involved

   It plans to make its money selling fuel, not ports, says its chief, Ashi Dissanayake. [19]

   • Ashi Dissanayake co-founder and chief, Spaceium

   How it unfolded

   Orbit Fab, a rival, opened its own RAFTI port to other companies in October 2021. [19]

   1. Oct 2021 Orbit Fab opens its RAFTI port
   2. Now Spaceium opens OpenPort
   3. Now licence opens for $1
   4. Early 2027 test at the space station

   Why it matters

   Today a satellite's working life ends when its fuel runs out. [19]

   How it works

   Engineers call this a standard: one shared design that lets many companies' parts fit together.

   Spaceium charges $1 for the port because it plans to make its money selling the fuel that flows through it. [19]

   Seen it before

   When phone makers agree on one charging plug, any charger fits any phone.

   The truth

   • Spaceium's only flight so far tested a robotic arm, not the port itself. [19]

   What comes next

   Spaceium plans to test OpenPort at the International Space Station in the first half of 2027, moving xenon fuel. [19]

9. 13

   NeuralSat raises money for data relays

   What happened

   • NeuralSat, a German start-up, raised 2.9 million euros to build a network of 72 satellites that relay data. [20]
   • Other satellites would send their data to NeuralSat's craft, which process it and pass it to ground stations. [20]

   Who is involved

   The investors Capnamic Ventures and Bayern Kapital led the round. [20]

   • Capnamic Ventures
   • Bayern Kapital

   Why it matters

   ESA expects about 100,000 satellites by 2030, up from 10,200 in 2024. [20]

   Their data is starting to jam on its way down to Earth, Payload reports. [20]

   How it works

   Engineers call this a trade-off: giving up some of one thing to get more of another.

   Satellites using NeuralSat give up doing everything alone, but gain room and power for their main job. [20]

   Seen it before

   A family that shares one car gives up some freedom but frees space in the drive.

   The truth

   • The network does not exist yet: this is a first, pre-seed round of money. [20]
10. 14

    OwlO plans an orbit data network for Europe

    What happened

    • OwlO Cloud, a Luxembourg start-up, came out of hiding with plans for a European data network in orbit. [21]
    • It wants at least 10 craft working by 2030, each able to store and process satellite data. [21]
    • It would mostly use parts from European suppliers. [21]

    Who is involved

    Its chief, Jason Aspiotis, used to run in-space data at the space company Axiom Space. [21]

    • Jason Aspiotis chief of OwlO Cloud, formerly at Axiom Space

    How it unfolded

    Aspiotis says nobody yet plans to build and run the whole system as a service. [21]

    Why it matters

    European satellite operators could then process more of their data in orbit. [21]

    How it works

    Bankers call this infrastructure financing: long-term money repaid from a project's income once it runs.

    OwlO plans venture money for early design, then infrastructure financing to pay for building the network over time. [21]

    Seen it before

    A family saves for a deposit, then a mortgage pays for the rest of the house over many years.

    The truth

    • Aspiotis would not say how much money the first 10 craft will need. [21]
11. 15

    A satellite photographs the space station

    What happened

    • A commercial satellite took a picture of the International Space Station from above, posted online on 9 November. [22]
    • HEO does not build satellites: its software tells other companies' satellites what to photograph. [22]
    • This picture was taken by a satellite run by BlackSky, a company in Virginia. [22]

    Who is involved

    It was posted by HEO, an Australian company that takes pictures of other spacecraft. [22]

    • HEO Australian firm that photographs spacecraft
    • BlackSky Virginia firm whose satellite took the picture

    How it unfolded

    HEO and its partners have also pictured China's Tiangong station and ESA's ERS-2 satellite falling to Earth in 2024. [22]

    Why it matters

    Pictures like this need careful timing: operators must know exactly when their target will come into view. [22]

    How it works

    Physicists call this relative motion: what matters is how fast two moving things pass each other.

    The space station moves at about 28,160 km an hour, so the shot must be timed to the second. [22]

    Seen it before

    Taking a photo of a friend from a passing train works only if you press at the right second.

12. 16

    China firm to build Oman 20 satellites

    What happened

    • Star Vision, a start-up in Hangzhou, China, will build Oman a network of 20 satellites. [23]
    • The satellites will use AI to process pictures in orbit and spot ships and floods as they happen. [23]
    • The start-up says the deal is worth over $200 million, and calls it China's most valuable commercial space contract. [23]

    Who is involved

    • Star Vision Chinese start-up
    • Oman Lens Omani firm

    How it unfolded

    It was signed in Beijing the week before with Oman Lens, an Omani firm, during a visit by Oman's ruler. [23]

    Why it matters

    Oman would get its own fleet that can report ships and floods in real time. [23]

    How it works

    Engineers call this edge computing: doing the work where the data is collected, not far away.

    Here the computing happens on the satellites themselves, which process their images in orbit. [23]

    Seen it before

    A referee decides on the pitch instead of waiting for a replay from far away.

    The truth

    • The deal's value comes only from the start-up itself. [23]
13. 17

    Fast radio bursts played in a cathedral

    What happened

    • A composer has turned thousands of fast radio bursts into sound at Oulu Cathedral in Finland. [24]
    • CHIME, a radio telescope in Canada, recorded 4,539 bursts from 3,641 sources between 2018 and 2023. [24]
    • The work plays through 12 loudspeakers and has run daily since early April. [24]

    Who is involved

    Fast radio bursts are flashes of radio waves from far galaxies that last a few thousandths of a second. [24]

    The composer, Andrew Melchior, worked with Kiyoshi Masui, a physicist at MIT. [24]

    • Andrew Melchior composer
    • Kiyoshi Masui physicist, MIT

    Why it matters

    Exactly how the bursts are made is still poorly understood. [24]

    How it works

    Astronomers call this dispersion: thin gas between galaxies holds back a burst's lower radio waves more than its higher ones.

    So each burst arrives with its high notes first and sweeps downwards, and Melchior says listeners can hear that. [24]

    Seen it before

    In a long race the runners start together but finish spread out, fastest first.

    What comes next

    On 21 November, 30 singers will stand among the audience as Melchior plays the bursts live. [24]

14. 18

    US Congress to look at SpaceX contracts

    What happened

    • Democrats, who will control the new US Congress, vow to investigate Elon Musk's companies, which could reach SpaceX's military contracts. [25]
    • The Democracy Defenders Fund, a left-leaning non-profit group, counts at least $10 billion in new SpaceX contracts since May 2025. [25]
    • They include nearly $4.2 billion from the US Space Force for a radar in space to track missiles. [25] Another is nearly $2.3 billion for communication satellites. [25]
    • About 94% of US orbital launches last year were SpaceX's, by one count. [25]
    • Musk wrote on X that he was "happy to cancel any that the government doesn't want." [25]

    How it unfolded

    May 2025 is when Musk stopped advising the US government. [25]

    1. May 2025 Musk stops advising the US government
    2. Since then new contracts for SpaceX
    3. Now investigations promised
    4. January the new Congress sits

    Why it matters

    For many military missions the US government has no replacement for SpaceX, and will not for years, Axios says. [25]

    Hearings are likely to look at Musk's role in limiting Starlink over Ukraine, Axios says. [25]

    How it works

    Economists call this single-source dependence: a buyer that relies on one supplier for something it cannot do without.

    With no second supplier ready, the US government can question SpaceX's contracts but cannot easily drop them. [25]

    Seen it before

    If only one shop in town sells bread, people grumble about its prices and still buy there.

    The truth

    • The $10 billion figure is a left-leaning group's count. [25] Musk still has Donald Trump's firm backing, Axios notes. [25]

    What comes next

    The Senate Armed Services Committee may take a different approach to SpaceX contracts from January, a Democratic aide said. [25]

15. 19

    York Space plans to buy a robot maker

    What happened

    • York Space Systems, a US space company in Colorado, plans to buy Outlook Industries, a robot maker in Australia. [26]
    • Outlook will become the base of a new arm called York Terrestrial Systems. [26]
    • Its first robot, Shadow, is a four-wheeled ground rover linked to York's network of satellites. [26]

    Who is involved

    • York Space Systems US space company
    • Outlook Industries Australian robot maker

    How it unfolded

    York has already bought a mobile satellite equipment firm and ATLAS Space Operations' ground station software. [26]

    1. Now York plans to buy Outlook
    2. 15 Dec Shadow's demonstration

    Why it matters

    "You absolutely need space to do it," said Dirk Wallinger, York's chief, of fighting future wars. [26]

    How it works

    Economists call this economies of scope: one network or skill serving several products at once.

    York wants the same space network to serve both its satellites and its new robot fleet. [26]

    Seen it before

    A phone company that already owns the masts can sell home internet through them too.

    The truth

    • The report gives no price for the purchase. [26]

    What comes next

    York plans to show Shadow driving itself and launching a drone at a demonstration on 15 December. [26]

    York also wants robot boats and underwater craft later. [26]